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Ayn Rand: Novelist, Philosopher, Icon

Objectivism:
A Philosophy forLiving on
earth

“My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.” — Ayn Rand

Throughout this site you’ll find a wealth of material about Ayn Rand’s philosophy and its application in everyday life. There’s a lot to discover. We invite you to explore at your own pace.
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Familiarity

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On morality, love, sex

and the goal of her fiction

“Ethics is not a mystic fantasy — nor a social convention — nor a dispensable, subjective luxury, to be switched or discarded in any emergency. Ethics is an objective, metaphysical necessity of man’s survival — not by the grace of the supernatural nor of your neighbors nor of your whims, but by the grace of reality and the nature of life.”

— Ayn Rand, “The Objectivist Ethics,” The Virtue of Selfishness

“Love is a response to values. It is with a person’s sense of life that one falls in love — with that essential sum, that fundamental stand or way of facing existence, which is the essence of a personality.”

— Ayn Rand, “Philosophy and Sense of Life,” The Romantic Manifesto

“No matter what corruption he’s taught about the virtue of selflessness, sex is the most profoundly selfish of all acts, an act which he cannot perform for any motive but his own enjoyment . . . an act which is not possible in self-abasement, only in self-exaltation, only in the confidence of being desired and being worthy of desire.”

— Ayn Rand, “The Meaning of Sex,” For the New Intellectual

“The motive and purpose of my writing is the projection of an ideal man. The portrayal of a moral ideal, as my ultimate literary goal, as an end in itself — to which any didactic, intellectual or philosophical values contained in a novel are only the means.”

— Ayn Rand, “The Goal of My Writing,” The Romantic Manifesto

About ARI

AynRand.org is the official website of the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI), the source for information on the life, writings and work of novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand.

Headquartered in Irvine, California, ARI offers educational experiences based on Ayn Rand’s books and ideas for a variety of audiences, including students, educators, policymakers and lifelong learners. ARI also engages in research and advocacy efforts, applying Rand’s ideas to current issues and seeking to promote her philosophical principles of reason, rational self-interest and laissez-faire capitalism.

ARI is composed of a dedicated Board of Directors and an energetic staff of more than 55 people. We invite you to explore how Ayn Rand viewed the world – and to consider the distinctive insights offered by ARI’s thought leaders today.